Hiya, are you talking interior or exterior? If you're talking exterior From experience definitely leave it 9-12 months before you paint or add a final coat because the boards will expand. If you mean interior we painted pretty much as soon as we moved back in and I can see hairline cracks in the ceiling where the house has settled, but it wouldn't stop me from doing it that way again. Personally the hassle of touching up cracks outweighs repainting rooms with furniture in!

DB.....A LOT of ideas and advice flying around here.......skimming through I see you are endeavouring to establish a basic concept for a designer/architect to consolidate for you, which is great.......whilst you may think this is a logical approach to achieve the best outcome, you are arguably just throwing around random ideas rather than properly resolving/focusing on the critical aspects ........my advice is do this: firstly clearly ascertain two things on paper, not in plan or building format but in writing...that is 1. List all your requirements/needs/goals and 2. Nominate a budget. Next, identify/research a logical local designer/architect option and approach them with this information....A designer's job is to come up with an appropriate concept/solution that best balances your requirements, aligned with a budget and of course make it viable within context/site. Sure, you want a cost effective/modest result, that's fine, and that will influence the solution, but as a general comment it feels like there is massive potential being missed considering the site..it dens;t necessarily have to be that big or fancy, but you have to put the EXPERIENCE of the home front and centre of the process, and not just think of it as a kitchen or whatever laid out this way or that ....This is about an amazing site and the living experience of that and the design should be based on this and bring together your specific requirements elegantly balanced in context......The issue I have scrolling through all this is that you have all these almost disconnected ideas of building form, but you have this incredible site....... the process of resolving the spaces ideally needs to develop from cues of the immediate environment/site in order to make the most of it since you are pursuing a customised solution.....agree with MB, every project has a budget and ultimately from experience this is in general the ultimate/overriding constraint. This project could be anything upwards from $500K and it will come down to the working out how far you want to take it, and what your priorities are over various levels.......this one has seriously significant potential -make sure you make the most of it as you're truly fortunately to have this opportunity to build a home for you and your family to enjoy there.......best of luck :) PD

When selecting windows it’s a good idea to think about how they perform thermally. The frames influence this as well as the glazing. Timber, uPVC and thermally broken aluminium frames are lower conductors of heat and cool than regular aluminium or steel frames, but they do come at a cost premium. Timber frames also require much more maintenance. And, of course, aesthetics come into play. The windows you select will affect your NATHERS or BASIX rating and will also affect your heating and cooling requirements. For more information these websites have useful information: https://renew.org.au/renew-magazine/buyers-guides/window-buyers-guide/ https://www.wers.net/werscontent/how-to-select-windows

You have quite a complex internal painting job in front of you. I would use the elements that are going to be retained as a starting point. So if you have stained timber, where you can see the original grain through the stain then use that as a starting point to work with throughout the home. Never paint stained timber as it is then lost forever, but work with it. Dulux alone has about 4800 different colours, so don't limit yourself to the few hundred colour chips that are on display at Bunnings. The Dulux colour consultants are usually good value, and have got access to the full range, but in my experience are more suited to contemporary schemes, and don't have training in heritage schemes. If you want to be authentic to the original art-deco details it may be worthwhile engaging a design consultant who specializes in heritage colour schemes. When I am matching original paint schemes for my clients I use a digital colour analyser that reads the original colour and gives the three closest contemporary equivalents. Many original art deco colour schemes were fairly dramatic with fewer neutrals than are used today. Many older homes have different wall colours in different rooms. The idea of having the same wall colour for every room is really a result of the project home industry as it streamlines the decision making (and painting) process, but doesn't really make a lot of sense when you think about how your rooms have different orientations, different light and different uses. Don't rush the process as your perception of the colours will depend on the lighting, time of day, and the colours of adjacent elements. Don't base your selections on any digital images as they are always inaccurate. Try and source larger samples, or sample pots, before investing in your paint. Finally with your painter be specific and use post-it notes to tell them where you want each colour to be painted. Many painters can't tell the difference between an architrave and cornice, so explanations are sometimes a waste of breath. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls